Kishanganj: Insan School & Dr. Syed Hasan (Part 27)

Contributed by: Dr. Equbal Wajid

Considering Insan School as a Minority welfare institution, the Vice Chancellor Aligarh Muslim University P.K. Abdul Aziz sent a team to negotiate with Dr. Syed Hasan for the possibility to take space for the proposed Distance Education Centre of AMU at Kishanganj. I came to know that Brother Amanullah, the notable Muslim figure asked Dr. Syed Hasan in a beautiful way:

‘HUZOOR HAM LOG CHAHTE HAIEN KE AAP IS PROJECT KO GOUD LE LI JIYE’ [Sir we want you to take this project in your lap]

As narrated by my friend Maulana Naeemuddin Quasmi, ex teacher Insan School, Dr. Syed Hasan was frightened and said, ‘ HAM TO CHAHTE HAIEN KE YE INSAN SCHOOL KHUD HI UNIVERSITY HO JAYE’ [ I want Insan School to become a University itself….].

When Brother Amanullah came out he asked, ‘ YE AB BIMAAR HOGAYE HAIEN , IN KO INKE HAAL PER CHOR DIYA JAYE’ [ Now he is ill, leave him at his own]. Here the negotiation ended.

Few months later by the efforts of the District Magistrate Kishanganj Mr.Feraque Ahmed and the sitting MP of Kishanganj, Maullana Israr Sahib 250 acres of Government land was located beside the Mahananda River and was granted to Aligarh Muslim University by Mr.Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister of Bihar. Now the Distance Education Centre of Aligarh Muslim University is going to be settle at Kishanganj despite a continuous chaos created by the members of ABVP.

Refusing to provide land for the Aligarh Muslim University Distance Education Center, is the failure of Padamshree Dr. Syed Hasan’s image as a servant to the Nation. Had the land of Insan School/ Insan College belong to the people of Kishanganj it could have gone to the people of Kishanganj. There was not better idea in the interest of the people of Kishanganj, in the present time, to help them in opening a branch of the Aligarh Muslim University at Kishanganj.

Hence, the opening of AMU Distance Center in Kishanganj authenticates the death of the Philosophy of Padamshree Dr. Syed Hasan, who, after returning from America, claimed that he want to open a University for the people and that he don’t want to take salary against his service. But we see that he slowly became the owner of the whole school land [ approximately 300 acres in 1994], which was assumed to be the property of the people of Kishanganj. He stated that he is going to build a University, but never tried for it in a right track. It was just a buzz, only to hypnotize the folks themselves.

However, It will be unjust to condemn the educational advantage what the people of Kishanganj, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, UP, and Assam achieved from him. The psychological environment which he provided to his students was unmatchable in the academic picture of India. He work harder and harder, day and night to provide his students the best kind of treatment, conducive to their emotional growth and to meet the requirements of their dynamic age groups. The students who passed Insan School are lucky that they were treated in such a way that can never be imagined. Being students they enjoyed such a prestige that was unmatchable to its kind.

To create boldness in different age groups he often bore loss of money. To create high standard ethics and morale among students in the begging years of school it was forbidden for the office staff to ask the students directly or indirectly for the school dues. I believe, it is a high level of morale that a school escapes itself from reminding its students about school dues, only with the feelings that the student will feel more or less humiliated due the stillness of his guardian. As a result some guardians blackmailed this sort of weakness and they never cleared the dues off. If one can count the dues of school money due with the guardians in 43 years it will reach up to millions, but the gentleness and God trusting of Dr. Syed Hasan did nothing to recover the amount. The dues amount with the guardians became higher and higher because even at the time when a student was to leave the school Dr. Syed Hasan was not so firm to get the dues cleared off.

In 44 years Dr. Syed Hasan also faced opposition from some of the people of the Kishanganj. In the beginning some people came to enquire about his American Degree, whether it is falls or true. In 60’s he told a Hakeemji, who was disrespectful to him:

“I am not sure what my efforts will do, but I am sure that I will certainly take 2 meters of Kishanganj’s soil for my corpse.”

Hakeemji kept quite.

Some of his opponent among Muslims figures are still alive and they are known as VIPs in Kishanganj. Some families who supported him blindly in every stance are Manzoor Sahab’s Family who resided in the campus, Mohd.Yusuf Sahab who also lived in the school campus. Principal Haneef Sahab of Nehru College, he also took berth to stay in the campus with family. The family of Dr. Qamrul Hoda was very attached to the school. Dr. Aabdussllam had been his staunch supporter. Mohammad Muzaffar Sahab [Hamdard] of Pani Bagh Mohallah was one of his best supporter. Dr. Ameer Ahmed and Yusuf Sarfrazi [Shoe Shop] and Abdul Aziz Sahab [Shoe Shop] had been the sympathizer of Insan School. Mr.Fazlur Rahman [Fazlu Babu] of Pdampur Estate will also be remembered as his supporter. Mohammad Mujeeb of Mujabari was so attached to the school as if he was one of its members. Among Hindus Dr. Shyam Lal Saha was a supporter to Dr. Syed Hasan. Among the political personalities Yusuf Sahab [MP from Siwan] Dr. Mohammad Hussain Azad [ Minister:Congress] and Rafique Alam [ Mionister:Congress] were among his alleys. They all send siblings at Insan School to study and grow in the peculiar academic environment.

They all loved and admired Dr. Syed Hasan all through the life, but when they came to know that Syed Bhai has become the proprietor of the institution they were sad. But even due to the high respect and love for Dr. Syed Hasan and the benefit which they have had with the school they don’t like to say anything against the person to whom they had admired as a Maseeha for the Muslims.

My mobile rang at 1 pm when I was in my office my student, Dr Afaque Akhtar an Insan alumni from New York was on the other side of the phone:

“ Iqbal Bahi …. Main Afaque bol raha hun aap ko mera mail mila tha?’

[Iqbal Bahi this is Afaque from New York , did you receive my mail?]

: Haan Bahi haan …. Mere peyare Aafaque ……bolo kaise ho….?”

[Yes Aafaque my dear Aafaque yes …. tell me how are you?”

“ Bahut theek haien Iqbal Bahi bus aap logon ki do a hai….’

[I am all right Iqbal Bahi…..it is just your good wishes..]

“ Bahut achchi baat hai………”

[ It is nice…..]

“aap ki autobiography parh raha hun…….bahut achchi hai.. yeh kitabi soorat mein chapi hai ya nahien?”[ I am reading your autobiography…….it is very good. Has it published in book form or not?]

“ Nahen kitabi soorat mien naheen chapi hai magar chapwane ka reada hai”

[ No it doesn’t have published in a book form..but I intend to that]

“ Zaroor chapwaiye…Iqbal Bahi….main bhi is ke chapne mien contribute karonnga …aap ne theek likha hai….main kahta hun ke Syed Hasan shooroo mein yeh kahta ki Insan School meri property hai…. Ham teachron ko …ek saal mien saw [100] ropya denge …rhana hai to raho jana hai ..to chale jaw to koi baat nahen thi…..magar ..qaum ki cheez kah ke aur logon se qurbaani maangne ke baad sari zameen apne naam se kar liya yeh achchi baat nahen hai…’

[ You must get it printed in a book form…..I will also contribute in it…..you have written correct….I say that if Syed Hasan could have told in the begging that it is my personal property and that I will one rupees yearly to the teachers…..whether someone will work or not …it was all right……but in the begging he said that this is the property of Qum and later on he owned the school’s land in his name …it was certainly wrong..]

Now in these closing lines I feel shame to say that in the whole 44 years exercise of Insan Dr. Syed Hasan is the main looser. The peak of fame upon which he was expected to reach in the recent years fall down. Even being a Padama Shri he loosed his carrier as philanthropist and as an upholder of Sir Syed Armed Khan’s Philosophy. The people who will go closer to his efforts will never realize him as a second Sir Syed Armed Khan.

I believe that the education of Dr. Syed Hasan and his profound enthusiastic approach towards training and personality development are undoubtedly unmatchable to Sir Armed Khan. He had more potentials than Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He was un beaten man who could never be defeated by anyone, the leader of the hearts, the mass hypnotizer, the best organizer and a best time manager, the king of the art of seduction, and a great man who deserves more than what he was admired by the folks and the Government . He could have been undeniably regarded a great asset for the Indian Muslims, but unfortunately he twisted himself from the Service of the Qaum to the Service for his family. All his efforts that were valued in the light of sacrifice for the Qaum will now be accounted as sacrifice for his family. There may be some very personnel sorts of stress behind this exercise that inspired this man to turn away from goal.

The failure of Insan School resulted in the increase of many private residential schools in Kishanganj. Mostly opened by the Insan alumni. The Crescent Public Scholl, Sir Syed Public School, Azad Public School, Tauheed Academy and many others. Now the Kishanganj town has become a Town of Residential Schools. The opening of the Distance Education Centre of the AMU threw water on all the efforts that was being done by Dr. Syed Hasan. As Syed Shahabuddin [ex MP] asked me during a meeting in a Programme of the AMU Alumni at Jubail :

“Haan zameen Bech rahe haien aur KHa rahe haien’ [ Yes …. he sells the properties and eats.]

Padama Shri Dr. Syed Hasan who have grabbed such a huge property may be afraid for the possibility of a Mass agitation in Kishanganj in the future against him or his sons who will inherit the huge property. Therefore as a precautionary strategy he is trying to spread out his business from Education to Commercial Trading. Recently he has declared open a big shopping complex in Kishanganj. This shopping complex is named as “ NIGAR DE MAAL”. It will contain 100s of shops. It will be first of its kind in the history of Bihar. What this shopping complex will benefit to the poor people of Kisangani one cannot say, but it is obvious that shifting the business from Education to Trading is a is certainly precautionary wise step from the security point of view.

If this project will be successful, they will open more MALLS in different cities of Bihar and also in Delhi close to Jamia Nagar. Later on this NIGAR DE MALL can emerge as an International Business Complexes in different countries. Further, his sons will give the school to somebody from local soil to run on contract basis, and they will try to remain it as an antic of their father. After 40 years or less the coming generation will forgot the history of Insan School and the ‘NIGAR DE MAAL’ will emerge as the leading Shopping complexes in Bihar.

But the historian will never hesitate to write that the Muslims of Bihar lost a second Sir Syed Ahmed Khan for his insincerity of intentions.

                                                                   [ The End]